News Archive

Establishing the molecular blueprint of early embryo development

By studying the genetic activity of 116,312 single cells from 6.5 to 8.5 days after fertilisation, researchers have determined the molecular blueprint for mouse embryonic development

A pioneering group of biologists, physicists and mathematical modellers in Cambridge have studied the genetic activity of over 100,000 embryonic cells to establish the molecular blueprint of mouse early embryo development. This new research provides fundamentally important information on how mammalian embryos develop during gastrulation, a key stage of development, and paves the way for new understanding of the earliest stages of life.

Almost 2,000 unknown bacteria discovered in the human gut

Researchers identify novel gut bacteria species and call for more data from beyond Europe and North America

Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute have identified almost 2,000 bacterial species living in the human gut. These species are yet to be cultured in the lab. The team used a range of computational methods to analyse samples from individuals worldwide.

Sanger Institute steps up commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Science

The Institute has joined a new coalition to remove biases in all aspects of life science research, including staff, experiment design, research subjects and study goals

Building on its ongoing work with Athena SWAN to address equality imbalances, the Institute is seeking to further address the wider issues of equality and diversity that can affect both the makeup of its scientific staff and the ability of its scientific samples to represent a diversity of ethnicities and gender.

Study reveals how immune cells target different tissues

For the first time, researchers have revealed the different molecular identities of important immune cells, called T regulatory cells, in peripheral non-lymphoid tissues like skin and colon. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and collaborators revealed that T regulatory cells have tissue-specific receptors and other adaptations, allowing them to move to the correct place. In future this could help understand how to target therapeutic cells to specific places in the body, for targeted treatments.

More than 100 new gut bacteria discovered in human microbiome

The new resource will allow scientists to detect which bacteria are present in the human gut, more accurately and faster than ever before. This will also provide the foundation to develop new ways of treating diseases such as gastrointestinal disorders, infections and immune conditions.

100 cancer organoid models developed by Sanger Institute scientists

The organoids developed by the Sanger Institute lead the UK effort as part of the international Human Cancer Model Initiative (HCMI) and will soon be available for researchers, together with their associated genomic data

Organoids are a powerful new tool for cancer researchers. The cells, derived from patients tumours and grown in the lab, mirror the cellular complexity and architecture of an individual tumour. Having 100 organoids from patients with three types of cancer begins to reflect the huge diversity of tumours.

Researchers identified new diagnoses of known genetic disorders for 52 of the 610 pregnancies they genome sequenced

Genetic testing improves the diagnoses of abnormalities in developing babies that are picked up during ultrasound scans. Using genome sequencing, scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Cambridge, University of Birmingham, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and their collaborators improved diagnoses of abnormalities detected by ultrasound by around 10 per cent.

Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and collaborators have revealed that the interleukin 10 receptor (IL-10R) is critical to prevent uncontrolled whipworm infection in mice and a damaging immune response in the gut.

GARFIELD classifies disease-relevant changes in the genome

New approach reveals role of genomic changes in a disease, both within and outside genes

Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) have developed a new approach to understand the functional effects of genetic variations associated with a disease, even if they aren't located in a gene. Using this approach could help scientists uncover previously unknown mechanisms that control gene activity and determine whether or not cell work normally or, in the case of genetic diseases, the cells malfunction.